The King's Heart (Thranduil Fanfiction)

Chapter 18

(Thranduil)

"Gurth gothrim lye! (Death to our foes!)" I yell as Rhovanel and I charge from the water. I had noticed that none of the orcs had a bow while we were hidden in the river. That only meant it would be easier to overcome these beasts.

As I charged forward, branch raised, I saw Rhovanel with the fiercest face I had seen on any warrior I'd ever met. I could see the muscles in her jaw; they were clenched so hard, I though her jaw might break. Her eyes had turned almost black. Her ears were angled slightly forward, an uncommon trait among elves. Her weapon was angled down, I knew she liked to open with an up-swing and follow with a side-swipe. The style suited her.

I rushed up to the first orc, who was merely half my height. He was dealt a paralyzing blow to the head. He fell to the forest floor with a thump, but the second orc was more prepared. He swiped at me and I barely had time to bend away from the strike. It was nearly impossible to count on my tree brach for defense; orc blades are not overly sharp, but they are heavy.

"Surrender elfling! Or the girl dies!" I hadn't even noticed five more orcs come up behind Rhovanel. She was lying on the ground angled so I could see a large gash in the back of her head. I had no choice. I dropped the branch and put my hands in front of me, so they could see that I had no other weapon. The tallest of the orcs walked up to me. I glared at him, but he only laughed.

"That's the king!" I heard one say.

"Can't be! Can it?" said the tall one, examining me. "By the demon, I think it is!" he snarled. I hear Rhovanel moaning behind me. I turn to look at her, but a fist connects with my jaw, sending me stumbling back a step. I can hear thunderous laughter erupt from the orcs.

"This elfling is too weak to be the king!" I hear the tall one laugh.

"Tell that to my head!" a scratchy voice cries. The orc I hit before is slowly getting up. "I've never been hit so hard in my life!"

I can't help but smirk. These were the dumbest creatures in Middle Earth.
"You really think I'm the king of the elves? Why would the king be out here, in the middle of the forest, with no guards or protection of any kind?" I reason. Actually, I went out into the forest alone all the time, but these orcs don't know that.

"He's got a point," the short one says.

"Quiet! The master will be along shortly, and he will know for sure!" The tall one snaps.

"Could I put my clothes back on? If I am the elf king, I'm sure your master wouldn't want me to die of the cold before he meets me." I smile as winning as I can at them, and it seems to be working.

The tall one nods. "But you must carry the girl, I don't want your hands to find themselves free," he growls. I nod and walk over to Rhovanel. her breathing is shallow and scratchy, but her eyes are open and alert.

I lean down to pick her up when she whispers in my ear, "I'm completely fine now. It's better for the orcs to think I'm helpless if we want to get out of this," she coughs.

"But the blood-"

"One hit me in the head with the hilt of his sword. It's only a bleeder, nothing more." I stare at her for another moment before lifting her. I slip my feet into the boots I had thrown off at the bank. I grab Rhovanel's boots and tunic as well, making a show of being gentle to her.

As I start heading toward our tree, an orc thrusts his blade in front of me, mere centimeters from my chest.

"Where are you going?" he snarls.

"My clothes are back at a tree we have been sleeping in for the past two weeks," I say matter-of-factly. I know our blades are there, hidden beneath the leaves. If we can get back to that tree, we can escape.

"Alright, but your hands must remain visible at all times!" the tall orc commands. I smirk to myself. Dumbest creatures on Middle Earth. I nod slightly and start walking into the trees, the pack of nine orcs behind me with drawn blades.

We trudged the woods, I was walking as fast as I could without jostling Rhovanel. She would fix her eyes on me, pretending to be hurt and stiff. At least, I thought she was pretending. As we neared the tree, she started moving more. She would throw her arms around and kick her legs slightly; that's when I first noticed the tears. They were forming at the corners of her eyes, but when I frowned, she smiled, nodding at me. At this point, I was unsure of her true feelings.

"Here we are," I announce. "I'm going to set her down and lay out her tunic, then I'll dress her and myself, alright?" The only response I get is grunting.

I lie Rhovanel down against the trunk of our tree. She smiles weakly at me, and I notice how much blood is covering her back. It stains her hair and tunic.

"Why did you say nothing? I could have helped you," I whisper, and I can hear the despair in my own voice.

She smile sweetly at me. "I will be fine, I have taken far worse than this," she says, tearing a strip of cloth from her wet tunic. She tries to tie it behind her head, but I can see her arms shaking.

"Allow me," I whisper, taking the makeshift bandage from her hands. She seems grateful. She leans her head forward slightly as I wrap the bandage over her gash. After I'm finished, I hold her head against my chest for a moment, and I can feel her relax a bit more. I rest my chin against her hair, which is already dry, and sigh deeply. I can her a small sob escape her lips, and I gently kiss the top of her head.

"It will all be fine," I whisper. She looks up at me, and her eyes are full of gratitude. I smile at her, feeling searing hatred course through me and I all I want to do now, is destroy these beasts that hurt her. Her eyes widen and I know she has read my face. I relax it again, hiding my emotions.

I lay out Rhovanel's dry tunic and set her on top of it. She puts her arms through the sleeves herself. I grab her boots. She looks at me, and I can see her hands digging in the leaves; searching for her knives.

I wrap my hand around her lower leg. I hear a slight gasp. I gently turn her leg, and I find a long cut there. I glare at her. I wish she would trust my judgement enough to tell me these things. Shaking my head, I tear a big piece of the blanket roll off and wrap it around her leg. Then I slide the boot over it to hold it in place. She smiles at me again, and I have to smile back. I can't take my eyes away from her face. She is trying very hard to keep it together, and I feel the rage surge through me again.

Standing up, I walk over to the branch my tunic is hanging on, and begin to fasten it when I pace over to my hidden blades.

"Hurry up elflings!" the tall orc shouts at us. I smirk again, ready to hack them to pieces. I bend down to help Rhovanel up, and I can see a slight shimmer from her blade. She is beaming at me, and I at her.

"Let's kill some orc," I whisper.